Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Our Japanese Tea Tour is a great opportunity to experience and learn more about Japanese tea culture. You will have a chance to taste a wide range of traditional Japanese teas as well as to visit several beautiful tea fields in the surrounding mountains. We are looking forward to welcoming you on an unforgettable adventure to tea sites and flavors! More information about our tea tours is the link below and if you are interested, you can book it directly through our website. https://obubutea.com/guided-tea-tour/
Duration: More than 3 hours
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5.0
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Tazz C
Sendai, Japan4 contributions
Mar 2014 • Solo
TL;DR both a traditional and innovative company, interesting and informative, a little expensive but worth doing as an unusual cultural experience, superb tea
For those who believe they've seen all of traditional Japan - the shrines, the monuments, the temples, mountains and ancient cities, I would recommend you try Obubu. Situated in a town called Wazuka, this vibrant company is a breath of fresh air in any 'traditional Japan' tour itinerary.
Wazuka town is actually closer to Nara than Kyoto, but is easily reached from either Kyoto, Nara or Osaka. The Uji region (where Wazuka is located) is famous through out Japan for it's premium quality tea. Wazuka itself produces an outstanding amount of green tea, over half the green tea sold in Japan. These days however about 90% of the tea in Japan is grown, picked and processed using various machinery. This is where Obubu comes in. Obubu prides itself on preserving the 800 year old techniques of traditional, hand made tea. From planting to producing the final tea products, Obubu favours people over machinery, and time honoured techniques of creating pure flavour over blending products, as many large commercial plantations do to keep product tastes consistent.
The tour itself is an interesting and informative experience. It begins with a short presentation about the company accompanied by two teas to taste. This is quickly followed by a trip up the mountain into the tea fields themselves. Along the way there are a couple of picturesque photo spots of the Wazuka valley.
At the fields themselves, you can see the tea plants up close and have various parts of the plant explained as well as information about the region. Questions are very welcome, and you can direct the conversation to your area of interest. The day I went it was raining, but we still made the trip up. It was very cool seeing the clouds below you in the valleys, and made for some good shots. Although we didn't hang around long because it was wet and cold, I imagine in good weather you could have more of a walk around the fields.
Next stop is lunch at a local, nearby venue. The recommended dish is noodles made with green tea, but there are a variety of options including rice based and vegetarian dishes. A simple but homely meal in keeping with the tour theme.
After lunch you return to Obubu and spend roughly the next two hours enthralled in the wonders of tea tasting. Not only do you try some of Obubu's premium teas picked in a variety of seasons and using various traditional tea farming techniques, but in keeping with the company's vibrant and innovative approach you will also be spoiled with some of their latest creations. I had the pleasure of trying some of the tea leaves themselves in a little soy sauce with roasted rice pieces - surprisingly delicious! I also ground my own macha powder and used it to make my macha tea. Just a few of the other teas I tried include Houjicha, Kabuse Sencha and Genmaicha. As one would expect, all the teas were of a superb quality.
In all the tour costs 12000 yen. For me, I thought this was a little expensive but given I am a traveling student (i.e. poor), I could be bias. Despite this, I was very happy with the program. I know a lot more about tea and Japan itself as a result. All the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. I also haven't seen anything like it offered in Japan, so I also feel it's something of a unique cultural experience.
A must for tea lovers, and a highly recommended those who want something a little different when exploring traditional Japan.
For those who believe they've seen all of traditional Japan - the shrines, the monuments, the temples, mountains and ancient cities, I would recommend you try Obubu. Situated in a town called Wazuka, this vibrant company is a breath of fresh air in any 'traditional Japan' tour itinerary.
Wazuka town is actually closer to Nara than Kyoto, but is easily reached from either Kyoto, Nara or Osaka. The Uji region (where Wazuka is located) is famous through out Japan for it's premium quality tea. Wazuka itself produces an outstanding amount of green tea, over half the green tea sold in Japan. These days however about 90% of the tea in Japan is grown, picked and processed using various machinery. This is where Obubu comes in. Obubu prides itself on preserving the 800 year old techniques of traditional, hand made tea. From planting to producing the final tea products, Obubu favours people over machinery, and time honoured techniques of creating pure flavour over blending products, as many large commercial plantations do to keep product tastes consistent.
The tour itself is an interesting and informative experience. It begins with a short presentation about the company accompanied by two teas to taste. This is quickly followed by a trip up the mountain into the tea fields themselves. Along the way there are a couple of picturesque photo spots of the Wazuka valley.
At the fields themselves, you can see the tea plants up close and have various parts of the plant explained as well as information about the region. Questions are very welcome, and you can direct the conversation to your area of interest. The day I went it was raining, but we still made the trip up. It was very cool seeing the clouds below you in the valleys, and made for some good shots. Although we didn't hang around long because it was wet and cold, I imagine in good weather you could have more of a walk around the fields.
Next stop is lunch at a local, nearby venue. The recommended dish is noodles made with green tea, but there are a variety of options including rice based and vegetarian dishes. A simple but homely meal in keeping with the tour theme.
After lunch you return to Obubu and spend roughly the next two hours enthralled in the wonders of tea tasting. Not only do you try some of Obubu's premium teas picked in a variety of seasons and using various traditional tea farming techniques, but in keeping with the company's vibrant and innovative approach you will also be spoiled with some of their latest creations. I had the pleasure of trying some of the tea leaves themselves in a little soy sauce with roasted rice pieces - surprisingly delicious! I also ground my own macha powder and used it to make my macha tea. Just a few of the other teas I tried include Houjicha, Kabuse Sencha and Genmaicha. As one would expect, all the teas were of a superb quality.
In all the tour costs 12000 yen. For me, I thought this was a little expensive but given I am a traveling student (i.e. poor), I could be bias. Despite this, I was very happy with the program. I know a lot more about tea and Japan itself as a result. All the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. I also haven't seen anything like it offered in Japan, so I also feel it's something of a unique cultural experience.
A must for tea lovers, and a highly recommended those who want something a little different when exploring traditional Japan.
Written 13 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RyaCho
Australia67 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
I emailed Obubu and received a response that the farm is not open to explore but you can book a tour not through email but through their website - a seemingly arduous process. Instead of booking and paying obubu to simply see tea field, I drove into Wazuka and visited the Ishitera tea plantation which was incredible and free to see. If you are already well studied individual in Japanese teas you dont need to visit obubu for their tour as you can save money and see arguable better sites in and around Wazuka and even Uji up the road. The pictures attached are of the Ishitera tea plantation and surrounding areas - all free to see keep in mind so you can save money and spend it on taking fukamushi/ asamushi sencha and even some gyokuro tea with you home instead!
Written 20 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear RyaCho, thank you for your comments. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your time in our tea town.
Yes as mentioned by our staff, we do offer tea tours that you can book through our website. We understand that this may not be easy for everyone and are working to improve it.
In terms of our tea tour program, yes, a part of it involves visiting tea fields in the surrounding mountains and enjoying the scenery. Our tea tours, however, are much more than that. Accompanied by knowledgeable guides, our guests also visit our tea factory and learn about Japanese tea cultivation and processing from actual tea growers and producers. The tea tours are then continued with an interactive tea tasting of both common and rare Japanese teas, during which our guests have a opportunity to make several Japanese teas using traditional Japanese teaware. All in all, our tea tours provide a good overview of Japanese tea, suitable and enjoyable to both tea lovers and professionals.
Nonetheless, we are happy you enjoyed the day in our tea town and wish you all the best in your travels.
Written 26 April 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Carrie G
Davis, CA160 contributions
Oct 2015 • Family
What an adventure to get there! Ensure you leave yourself about two hours toget to the farm.The website provides very clear instructions on how to get to the farm, but certainly ask your hotel concierge if you have any doubts...especially if you aren't fluent in Japanese. However, once you arrive, the day is quite lovely.
The tour starts with a history of the Obubu company as well as a intro to Japanese tea...all while sipping on a couple of teas. Beware that you are in a traditional Japanese dining room and sit on the floor. Three people in our group had a hard time sitting on the floor for long periods. However the staff graciously offered chairs if the guests preferred.
Next, a trip to the tea fields helped clarify the growing and harvesting process. The views of the town and nearby Nara are spectacular. I enjoyed hearing about how the tea is harvested and the pruning process. The drive around the town is a little windy and on some bumpy roads, but nothing too scary or sketchy.
Our next stop was one of the four local restaurants in the area. They had English menu, so that is helpful for us non Japanese speakers. One of the specialties there was matcha flavoured noodles. Unfortunately,due to dietary restrictions I was unable to try them, but one gal in our group had them and really enjoyed them. The restaurant server was pleasant and very friendly.
Finally back to the living room for a tea tasting as well as learding the process of rolling and drying the tea leaves. We sampled approximately 8 different teas and some multiple times to compare/contrast how brewing temperatures change taste. There was a chance for each person to grind the tea into matcha as well as mix their own frothy cup of matcha. There is a price sheet and all the teas are available for purchase. What an experience.
The staff at Obubu was knowledgeable and helpful. They are mostly comprised of interns who are learning about tea as well, but their English knowledge was helpful to us understanding the process and presenting information. You can extract as much information as you'd like from the tour. If you are there to sample tea and understand the different kinds...no problem. If you want to know about the production side of tea, they will happily share as much information as you want....just ask.
Really the only complaint we had was the timing. We understand that tea is taken very seriously and cannot be rushed. However, the bus that runs you to and from the subway station is only once per hour. Our feedback is for the staff to be mindful of this for the guests convenience. Admittedly, if we missed the bus, we could've taken a taxi or stayed, but it was time for us to go, so we felt rushed to leave. Perhaps as part of the package, a ride back to the station would work better? Just a suggestion.
The tour starts with a history of the Obubu company as well as a intro to Japanese tea...all while sipping on a couple of teas. Beware that you are in a traditional Japanese dining room and sit on the floor. Three people in our group had a hard time sitting on the floor for long periods. However the staff graciously offered chairs if the guests preferred.
Next, a trip to the tea fields helped clarify the growing and harvesting process. The views of the town and nearby Nara are spectacular. I enjoyed hearing about how the tea is harvested and the pruning process. The drive around the town is a little windy and on some bumpy roads, but nothing too scary or sketchy.
Our next stop was one of the four local restaurants in the area. They had English menu, so that is helpful for us non Japanese speakers. One of the specialties there was matcha flavoured noodles. Unfortunately,due to dietary restrictions I was unable to try them, but one gal in our group had them and really enjoyed them. The restaurant server was pleasant and very friendly.
Finally back to the living room for a tea tasting as well as learding the process of rolling and drying the tea leaves. We sampled approximately 8 different teas and some multiple times to compare/contrast how brewing temperatures change taste. There was a chance for each person to grind the tea into matcha as well as mix their own frothy cup of matcha. There is a price sheet and all the teas are available for purchase. What an experience.
The staff at Obubu was knowledgeable and helpful. They are mostly comprised of interns who are learning about tea as well, but their English knowledge was helpful to us understanding the process and presenting information. You can extract as much information as you'd like from the tour. If you are there to sample tea and understand the different kinds...no problem. If you want to know about the production side of tea, they will happily share as much information as you want....just ask.
Really the only complaint we had was the timing. We understand that tea is taken very seriously and cannot be rushed. However, the bus that runs you to and from the subway station is only once per hour. Our feedback is for the staff to be mindful of this for the guests convenience. Admittedly, if we missed the bus, we could've taken a taxi or stayed, but it was time for us to go, so we felt rushed to leave. Perhaps as part of the package, a ride back to the station would work better? Just a suggestion.
Written 29 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fabster74
Bangkok, Thailand731 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
We booked this full day tea tasting and plantation tour and were not disappointed. Finding the farm house is a bit of an adventure once you get to the train station and I think there must be only 1 taxi in the town; and then it's another 20 minutes or so out of town to the tea farm.
However, once you get there, the area is absolutely stunning. We were very fortunate as the sky was perfectly blue on the day we were there and our photos turned out like postcards.
The tour started by heading up the mountain to visit the plantations and learning about tea growing and harvesting, with the owner taking his time to explain everything. Then we had lunch in one of the eateries of the little town and were treated to some delicious fresh green tea soba.
After lunch, we spent the next few hours tasting all kinds of teas from sencha, to Gyokuro, to grinding our own matcha tea, and iribancha. It was interesting listening to the owner talk about the need to diversify from pure farming and tea production, to taking interns from around the world, to sustain themselves by developing into tourism. It was equally great to interact with the interns who were in charge of the slide shows and talking about tea and the chemistry of the tea.
This was one of the best agricultural tours I have been on and I certainly have a greater appreciation for Japanese tea farming and tea since this tour. I would definitely recommend a tea plantation tour if time is not too constrained on a trip to Japan.
However, once you get there, the area is absolutely stunning. We were very fortunate as the sky was perfectly blue on the day we were there and our photos turned out like postcards.
The tour started by heading up the mountain to visit the plantations and learning about tea growing and harvesting, with the owner taking his time to explain everything. Then we had lunch in one of the eateries of the little town and were treated to some delicious fresh green tea soba.
After lunch, we spent the next few hours tasting all kinds of teas from sencha, to Gyokuro, to grinding our own matcha tea, and iribancha. It was interesting listening to the owner talk about the need to diversify from pure farming and tea production, to taking interns from around the world, to sustain themselves by developing into tourism. It was equally great to interact with the interns who were in charge of the slide shows and talking about tea and the chemistry of the tea.
This was one of the best agricultural tours I have been on and I certainly have a greater appreciation for Japanese tea farming and tea since this tour. I would definitely recommend a tea plantation tour if time is not too constrained on a trip to Japan.
Written 26 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tynee S
Sydney, Australia107 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
We love everything here was thinking shall we skipped as not easy travel there so ended up book the tour with Matcha man....OMG worth go out of the city and see this.It is so good to know and learn about how long it takes until harvest and how hard .You will enjoy the tea more than ever!
Note that very hard to walk especially when we went there becuz of the rain
Note that very hard to walk especially when we went there becuz of the rain
Written 7 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
solage
chicago17 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
We loved our experience at the tea farm. I HIGHLY recommend visiting Obubu. It is about an hour outside of Kyoto and easy to get to using train and bus. The setting is absolutely beautiful and the people were wonderful. Lunch was great and the tea tastings were excellent, learned so much!
Written 15 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eric H
Oakland, California437 contributions
Sept 2019
The Obubu Tea Fram provides the visitor with a full introduction to tea farming and production. The Farm has foreign interns who stay and work at the farm for 3 months at a time and in addition to working the farm and the tea factory, they act as guides for visitors. The visit includes a introduction to tea and tea farming, a visit to the mountainside where the tea is grown, a visit to the factory and finally a tea tasting.
Written 16 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrooksyNJ
South Orange, NJ98 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
Okay, so you won't become a tea master after the four hour tea tour, but chances are you will leave knowing a lot more than even the average Japanese. The staff and interns were fun and friendly, and extremely knowledgeable. Afterwards, we opted to spend the extra yen to get a scenic drive in the farm's van back to our train station, where we learned more about the local history of the area. We came from a night in Nara, and left for Kyoto. It's definitely a great day trip to the countryside as a bridge between the two cities. Logistically, it did take us both a bus and a train to get there from Nara, but the directions on the website regarding timing are spot on.
Written 19 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R C
New York City, NY23 contributions
Feb 2019
We had the pleasure of participating in a full-day tea tour at Obubu during our honeymoon in February 2019. Getting to Obubu from Kyoto station wasn’t easy (took us 2 hours and entailed a train + bus), but it was SO worth it. I am not much of a tea lover, but my wife is. Still, I’d highly recommend the tea tour to anyone visiting Kyoto or Osaka. Our day started off with a general overview of the company and introduction to tea. Next, we were taken to the tea farm in the mountains where we had magnificent views of the city. It would be impossible difficult to get those views on your own. Put it this way, when we visited Fushimi Inari, the view from the top of the shrine paled in comparison to our experience at Obubu. Also, we were left with a lasting impression from our guide Hiro who was the most genuine, kind and warm person we met in Japan. He’s one in a million and we’re glad to have met him. After physically seeing the area where the tea was grown, we saw where the leaves were processed to make the physical product. We were then taken to a fantastic local lunch and ate with the team at Obubu where all our curiosities of tea were addressed in a candid forum (the interns at Obubu are largely foreign with strong English proficiency so complex questions are answered perfectly). After lunch, we headed back to try a variety of different teas. Wazuka as a region produces a meaningful portion of Japan’s tea and obtaining a curated and wholesome experience like this is unparalleled. During our visit to Kyoto, we saw the Suntory Yamazaki production process, Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama. We would say that experience at Obubu was the most interesting and unique! Thanks so much to the team at Obubu
Written 23 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GulabJ
Bangalore26 contributions
June 2017 • Couples
My husband and I took part in the Guided Tea tour in June 2017. The instructions to reach the tea farm in the Obubu website are excellent -- the tea farm can be reached easily from Kyoto by public transport. The explanation from the Obubu staff was great. The different teas offered in the sampling were delicious!
Written 24 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi!
I'm interested in visiting this tea farm. Can you tell me more information and how would I get here from central Kyoto?
Written 24 September 2019
We had a private car and driver. If you don’t want to hire a car and drive, you should contact the Tea Farm directly or ask the concierge in your hotel.
Written 25 September 2019
Hi there, I'll be in Japan the first two weeks of December, and was wondering it would be a good time to visit the tea farms?
Written 26 August 2019
I would ask the farm directly--they are very responsive. But I would say that even if you don't spend a lot of time on the hillside, the tea tasting/tea class is indoors and worth it. It's a nice day trip from Nara. Hope that helps.
Written 26 August 2019
Hello, I am travelling in November to Kyoto and was wondering if that would be a good month to visit Wazuka. Or do you think I should wait until my next trip in the spring/summer?
Written 13 August 2019
Hi Milton,
November is a fantastic time to visit Wazuka as the Autumn colours are stunning and there are not the crowds that you can find in Kyoto.
We hope to see you soon!
Kind Regards,
The Obubu Team
Written 18 August 2019
zalia_smilga
Kyoto, Japan
Thank you for the question. Traditional tea ceremony is not part of the tour. However, it includes a comprehensive and interactive tea tasting of Japanese teas such as Sencha, Matcha and others. Please see the Obubu Tea website for more information. Obubu team
Written 7 May 2019
bsb4eva8087
Sacramento, California
I tried looking at the website and it said the tour is 12,00 yen (~$110) per person. Is that right?
Written 14 April 2018
zalia_smilga
Kyoto, Japan
Thank you for the question. The tour costs 12,000yen/person. Obubu team
Written 7 May 2019
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